Effect of some stimulants and spraying amino acids on growth and chemical composition of cucumber plants grown under greenhouse conditions

Abstract EN

The current study was conducted in a greenhouse belongs to the Faculty of Agriculture Farm, Cairo University during 2012/3013 and 2014/2015 early autumn seasons to study the effect of amino acids as foliar application and using four stimulants; viz., microbial inoculants, mixture of nitrogen fixing bacteria (Azotobacter sp), phosphate dissolving bacteria (Bacillus megaterium) and potassium dissolving bacteria (Bacillus circulans), humic acid, effective microorganisms (EM) and yeast strains (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, 110) as soil fertilizer on vegetative growth characters and chemical composition of cucumber cv.

Safa 62.

The experiment treatments which were the combinations between amino acids (0 and 2 g/l) and four stimulants were arranged in a factorial experiment with three replicates in addition to sprayed with tap water (control).

Results indicated that spraying cucumber plants with amino acids affected significantly plant height, number of leaves, average leaf area and K content in leaves while, chlorophyll content and dry weight of leaves were not significantly affected in both seasons.

However, N content in first season only and P content in second season only in leaves were significantly affected.

Differences of P content in first season only and N content in second season only in leaves were insignificant.

Stimulants increased plant height, number of leaves/plant, average leaf area, chlorophyll content in leaves, dry weight of leaves and the content of N, P, and K in leaves comparing with control while, the lowest values were recorded.

The microbial inoculants and EM gave the highest plant height, number of leaves/plant, average leaf area, chlorophyll content in leaves, dry weight of leaves and the content of N, P, and K in leaves comparing with the other bio-stimulants.

Foliar application of amino acids combined with microbial inoculants and also amino acids combined with EM gave the highest values of all vegetative growth characters and chemical composition in leaves in this study comparing with other interaction treatments.